


The Prince Groom

by Windstorms



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Eventual Happy Ending, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Princess Bride, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-28
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2020-10-30 03:35:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20807876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windstorms/pseuds/Windstorms
Summary: Jensen is a simple farm boy. Jared is a poor farmhand. They were always going to fall in love.





	The Prince Groom

**Author's Note:**

> For the 2017 spn_cinema challenge. Based on the movie The Princess Bride. Please note that this fic is not yet complete, but it will be continued to include the rest of the movie plot (along with a happy ending for the boys).
> 
> Banner and divider by supernutjapan.

The land of Florin was a peaceful country. As far as most people knew, it was ruled by King Eric and his wife, the Queen. But the truth was that the King was in poor health. He was barely hanging on. His body had betrayed him and his mind was all but gone. He spent most of his time wandering up and down the hallways of the castle muttering to himself about nonsense. It was clear to everyone in the royal family that he was no longer fit to preside over his court.  
  
Princess Danneel ran things and made the important day-to-day decisions about running the country. The problem with this was that she was, obviously, female. As King Eric’s only heir, that didn’t leave them much choice. She didn’t have much experience with ruling a Kingdom, so she trusted her father’s closest confidant, Count Sheppard, to advise her.  
  
Count Sheppard knew that the King didn’t have long. Maybe a few years, at best. He had to find the Princess someone suitable to marry so that he would ascend the throne as their next King. If the Princess didn’t marry before her father died, the throne would automatically go to the King’s younger brother upon his untimely death.  
  
The Count didn’t want that. He liked things just as they were. He was practically running the country himself now, the Princess was just too naïve to know it. So he watched, and he plotted, and he waited for the perfect opportunity.  
  
And eventually, the perfect opportunity came along in the form of Jensen Ackles.

There were only two things Jensen Ackles really cared about. What he liked to do, more than anything else really, was to ride his horse and taunt the farm boy. He called his horse simply Horse, because he didn’t have the inclination to come up with an actual name for it. The horse came when he called it, went where he steered it, and did whatever he wanted. The farm boy did that, too. The farm boy was actually a young man now, and a very striking one at that. He was an orphan that had come to work for Jensen's family as a young boy. They were close in age, and they could have been playmates. Instead, Jensen had grown up teasing him and ordering him around. The farm boy never said anything in defense of himself. He never said much of anything, really. He simply did whatever Jensen told him.  
  
Fetch me that, farm boy. “As you wish.” Saddle my horse, farm boy. “As you wish.” Hurry and patch that fence, farm boy, or I’ll tell my father you’re lazy and slow. “As you wish.”  
  
“As you wish.” That was all he ever replied to Jensen's orders. The farm boy, whose given name was Jared, lived in a small hut on the edge of the Ackles’ property, out near where most of the animals were stabled. He was a good farmhand. He had grown strong from doing so much physical labor on the farm (not that Jensen had ever sat and watched him while he was working). He was smart even though he had never finished school.  
  
“I’m going to leave that boy some of the land in my will,” Jensen’s father announced one day. Jensen had just come in from his daily ride, and he stopped in the entryway. He took twice as long as necessary taking off his coat and boots, because he was interested in whatever concerned his farm boy.  
  
“You’ll spoil him,” Jensen’s mother sounded worried. Jensen snorted. As if Jared had ever been spoiled a day in his life.  
  
“He’s earned it,” Jensen’s father said simply.  
  
And that was that. 

On the first Saturday of the month, Jensen went into the village to purchase some provisions. The market was bustling with customers. It took Jensen the better part of the morning to work his way through the crowds and collect everything he needed, but he didn’t mind.  
  
After he’d bought everything that was on his list to get for the farm, he went to a jewelry stall. His mother’s birthday was approaching soon, and he wanted to find her the perfect gift. He made idle chit-chat with the merchant while he browsed his wares, and he eventually settled on a necklace with a ruby pendant. He didn’t know much about jewelry, but his mother loved red, so he hoped she would like it.  
  
“How much?” Jensen asked, already reaching into his leather pack to count out how much coin he had left.  
  
The merchant replied with a price that wasn’t too outrageous. Jensen nodded and handed over the payment. While he was waiting for the merchant to wrap up his purchase, he heard a voice behind him say, “Buying something pretty for yourself, Jenny?”  
  
Jensen sighed inwardly but resolutely did not turn around. He recognized the voice, but he really wasn’t in the mood for any of Chad Murray’s antics today.  
  
Chad moved closer behind him and snickered. Jensen could feel his breath on the back of his neck. “Well, we all know that Jenny isn’t buying it for a girl, now don’t we?”  
  
That set off the group of village boys that Chad hung around with, and they all broke out in hysterics. Jensen continued to ignore them as best he could. The merchant eyed the group behind Jensen warily before shifting his gaze to Jensen. Jensen stared back at the man, silently pleading with him to hurry up.  
  
“Jenny here thinks he's too good to talk to anyone else. Isn't that right, Jenny?”  
  
“No, I'm not,” he managed. “I'd just rather avoid the likes of you, that's all.”  
  
A few of Chad's friends broke out into startled laughter at that, and Jensen smirked. The merchant handed over his package and wished him a good day. Jensen thanked him and put the gift for his mother into his pouch. He turned on his heel and started walking in the opposite direction of Chad and his idiot friends, hoping that would be the end of it.  
  
It wasn’t. He made his way through the market square without incident, but when he turned the corner onto a mostly deserted street on the outskirts of the bazaar, Chad and his friends were waiting for him.  
  
“What do you want, Chad?” Jensen asked.  
  
“I just wanted to see the shiny little trinket you bought, Jenny.”  
  
Which meant he was going to rob him. Jensen finally took the time to actually look the group over, and suddenly Chad and his friends seemed more intimidating than annoying. Jensen wasn’t a small man, not by any means, but he didn’t like his odds when it was four against one. “I’m really getting bored of this,” he said, hoping if he kept acting like Chad was nothing but a nuisance he would give up and go away.  
  
“Mmm, I bet you are,” Chad said. “There’s another option on the table here.”  
  
“And that is?” Jensen asked.  
  
“You get down on your knees and put your pretty little mouth to good use.”  
  
“Not happening,” Jensen bit out.  
  
Chad grinned maniacally, almost gleeful at the prospect of getting to beat the crap out of him and take what he wanted by force. “I was really hoping you were gonna play hard to get.”  
  
A deep voice behind him said, “I do believe Jensen has politely asked you to leave him alone.”  
  
Jensen knew that voice. Jared. Before he could process anything beyond that, Jared came into view, all six feet four of him. He looked angrier than Jensen had ever seen him, and for a split second, Jensen almost pitied Chad. Between one second and the next Jared’s fist flew out and punched Chad square in the face. Blood sprayed from his nose. Chad flailed his arms and fell backwards against the wall of the alley with a crash.  
  
One of Chad’s friends had stepped up behind Jared and was about to grab for him. Jensen blurted out sharply, “Behind you!”  
  
Jared dropped him with an elbow to the ribs without even turning around. Chad’s other two friends took off running without looking back.  
  
“You don’t come near him again. You don’t even think about him after this,” Jared growled, so softly that Jensen had to strain to hear it. Jared leaned down to where Chad lay sprawled out on the ground, squinting up at Jared around the hand covering his bloodied nose. “If I ever hear about you bothering him again, you’ll regret it.”  
  
Jared stood up then, gave Jensen a cheerful sort of smile and said, “Ready to head home?” 

Once they’d left the market behind them, Jensen figured it was time for some explanations. He decided to start with the most simple question first. “Is your hand hurt?”  
  
“Nah. I’ve hurt it worse chopping firewood,” Jared said, casual as could be.  
  
“Why’d you do that?”  
  
Jared looked over at Jensen like he’d suffered a head injury. “They were going to hurt you.”  
  
“Okay, but-”  
  
“No buts. Nothing about that was funny to me. How long has that jerk been bothering you?”  
  
Jensen shrugged. “Started back in school. Messed with me a lot. Always calls me Jenny.”  
  
“Names are important,” Jared said, voice low.  
  
Jensen didn't know what to say. What could he say to that? He'd called this boy that was now this magnificent young man, _farm boy_ for most of their lives. Like Jared was some kind of pet. It was just as demeaning as Chad insisting on calling him Jenny. Hell, it was worse.  
  
His throat suddenly felt too tight. How could he even begin to apologize for acting like an egotistical imbecile for over a decade?  
  
“Jared,” Jensen said deliberately, carefully trying the name out on his tongue. He watched the dimples break out in full force on his face as he smiled. He'd always known his given name, of course. But he found he truly _liked_ saying it. “I won’t ever call you anything else again.”  
  
“As you wish.”  
  
They smiled at each other and walked on in companionable silence for a while. They were walking back to the farm; Jensen hadn’t ridden his horse today. So that still begged the question of what Jared was doing here and how he’d found him in the first place.  
  
“What were you doing at the market today?”  
  
“Would you believe, a coincidence?”  
  
Jensen snorted his _no_. Before Jensen could find another way to ask about it, Jared said, “I don’t think you should go to the market alone anymore.”  
  
That instantly set Jensen on edge. “I’ve been going there alone for years. Nothing like this has ever happened before. It won’t happen again, now that you’ve shown Chad and his buddies that you’re a Neanderthal. I can take care of myself.”  
  
“Look. All I’m trying to say is that your father and I think-”  
  
“Wait a minute. What does my father have to do with this?”  
  
Jared sighed. “You’re not going to like it.”  
  
“Oh, I already don’t. But please, go ahead and tell me what you and my father have been discussing behind my back.”  
  
“It wasn’t some secret meeting. Obviously, since I’m telling you about it!”  
  
“Except for the part where you’re not.”  
  
Jared made an exasperated sound. “All he said was that your looks might start to attract the wrong kind of attention. And he asked me to keep an eye on you.” He looked at the ground and fidgeted a little then, and it’d be adorable if Jensen weren’t so mad at him at the moment. “So that’s what I’m doing. Keeping an eye on you.”  
  
“My looks…” Jensen started, trying to process which part he was going to throttle Jared, and later on his father, for first. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Do you both think I’m some helpless damsel in distress?”  
  
“Well, I did just punch the actual village idiot for you,” Jared reminded him. “You’re welcome for that, by the way.”  
  
Jensen waved a dismissive hand. “First of all, I was handling him fine by myself. And second - is that why you were here? Because my father ordered you to stalk me?”  
  
“I was here because I care about you and I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Jared blurted out. “You idiot.” Jared added the last part quietly, almost as an afterthought. Then he turned away so Jensen couldn’t see his face.  
  
Jensen stared at his back, dumbfounded. Cared about him. Jared cared about him. All this time Jensen had been bossing him around, treating him like a servant, and still, Jared found it somewhere in himself to _care_ about him. Why couldn’t he at least have said something before now? “Why didn’t you ever tell me?” He finally asked.  
  
“Would it have made any difference?” Jared asked. He didn’t bother turning around.  
  
“It would’ve. It does. It makes all the difference in the world to me.” Jensen reached out hesitantly, and brushed a hand against Jared’s shoulder. “Look at me, please.”  
  
Jared turned then, and he looked so broken in that moment that Jensen would’ve given anything to take away the pain he saw there. They stared at each other for a few seconds, the harsh sounds of their breathing the only thing Jensen could hear. Jensen instinctively knew, after everything he’d done to this gentle boy, that he would have to be the one to make the first move. He reached up with a trembling hand to brush some of the hair away from Jared’s face. Then he cupped Jared’s cheek, his thumb skimming across Jared’s cheekbone. Jared closed his eyes and leaned into his touch.  
  
Emboldened by Jared’s response, Jensen stepped closer. Their mouths were so close now that they were practically sharing the same breath. His eyes flicked from Jared’s mouth to his still-closed eyes a few times, before he finally closed that last little bit of distance between them.  
  
The kiss was slow at first. Just a sweetly chaste touching of lips. But then Jared’s lips opened under his and he thought _God, ye_s and _finally_, although he had a feeling that Jared had been waiting for this a lot longer than he had. Jared reached up and cradled the back of Jensen’s head in one giant hand. Jensen got the impression that he wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and he couldn’t help but smile into the kiss.  
  
After a while, they broke apart. Then, Jared put both hands on either side of his face, and stroked his thumbs across Jensen’s cheeks as he kissed him a little deeper this time. Jensen had no idea how long they stood there kissing on the side of the road. It could have gone on for hours or mere minutes, but either way, it didn’t feel like long enough.  
  
What they didn’t notice, while they were too busy caught up in sharing their first kisses, was that Jensen had already attracted the wrong sort of attention. A man sat in a carriage watching them from a couple of blocks away. The Count had heard stories being passed around by the commoners about a young man of unusually striking good looks. Count Sheppard had been watching Jensen’s comings and goings for a while. And it was he that would later mention Jensen’s name to the Princess. 

  
Jensen and Jared were inseparable after that day. They spent their days sharing the work on the farm, splitting it as equals, now. Whenever Jensen had to go into town for supplies, Jared was at his side. If any of the village boys tried anything, Jared was there to handle things. A few of them got out of hand a time or two, and Jared was more than happy to thrash them about. Jensen always pretended to be offended, but in truth he was amused.  
  
Jensen still went for daily rides on his horse, only now Jared accompanied him on his own mount. Sometimes they would ride for hours across the rolling countryside, cutting through the forests and eating lunch by a stream. If they happened to take longer than usual to make their way back to the farm because Jared was showing Jensen just how good he was with his hands, well, there was no one there to witness it but the horses. 

  
It was dusk by the time they finished supper. Jensen and Jared went about clearing the table and washing up. His parents had retired to their quarters for the evening. They claimed they were tired, but Jensen knew they were trying to give Jared and him some privacy.  
  
What he didn’t know was why.  
  
His parents knew that he and Jared were together now. They’d had no problem accepting it. In fact, they were delighted. They’d always thought of Jared as something of a second son, and now he really was almost part of the family. Jared dined with them most nights and he spent more time in the house than he did in his hut.  
  
Jensen was at the sink finishing up the last of the dishes. Jared was across the room, over by the fireplace tending to the fire. He looked pensive.  
  
Jensen didn’t like that. He looked around, scanning the room for something he could use to distract Jared from his thoughts. Looking up, an idea came to mind.  
  
“Farm boy,” Jensen called. It was worth breaking his vow, just this once.  
  
Jared looked over at him, a bemused smile playing at his lips. Jensen didn’t call him that anymore. He hadn’t for a long time now. Jared got to his feet and walked across the room towards Jensen, his movements graceful and smooth.  
  
Jensen inclined his head towards the clay pitcher hanging from a hook on the rack above him. “Fetch me that pitcher?”  
  
Jared reached up and pulled the pitcher down, his eyes never leaving Jensen’s face. He knew damn well that Jensen could reach the pitcher himself. But Jared was just so… tall. Jensen fully appreciated the view, enjoying the way his bicep and shoulder muscles bunched and moved as he lifted his arm. Jared held the pitcher out to Jensen with a wry smirk. “As you wish.”  
  
Jensen smiled and set the pitcher on the counter. He looked back over at Jared and the expression on his face was entirely serious again. Jensen stilled. Jared titled his head up by the chin, kissed him. Jared kissed him slowly and thoroughly, like he _meant_ it. It was incredible. Kissing Jared was really one of his most favorite things in the world, and it was silly that they’d wasted so many years not doing this.  
  
When they pulled apart Jensen all but melted against him. He braced himself by placing his hands on Jared’s chest, palms flat against all that firm muscle, and Jared draped his strong arms around Jensen’s back.  
  
Jensen reached up to wrap his arms around Jared’s neck. He felt safe here, with Jared. Loved, for the first time in his life. “I love you.”  
  
Jared sucked in a sharp breath. Wordlessly, he disentangled himself from Jensen’s embrace and stepped back, a pained expression crossing his face. “I’m leaving Florin.”  
  
And that was _not_ the response Jensen was expecting after an admission like that. “What?” he asked. “You’re leaving? _Now_? Is it because of what I just said?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
Oh, and that only made things worse. The room began to tilt in a funny way, and Jensen had to hang onto the edge of the counter. “Is this because I treated you so badly all these years?”  
  
Jared just looked at him.  
  
Jensen hurried on. There still had to be a way to fix this. “I don’t blame you. I don’t know how to even begin to make up for all of that, but I love you and your stupid shaggy hair, and if you just let me try-”  
  
“I’m going to America,” Jared interrupted him then. “To seek my fortune. There’s a ship leaving soon and I’m going. There’s lots of opportunity for people like me in America and I’m taking advantage of it. I’ve been training for years. I’m strong, and I’ll work hard. I’ll make something of myself. Something you’ll be proud of.”  
  
Now it was clear why his parents had wanted to give them some time alone. Jared had already told them about his plans. “You can do that here. My father is going to give you some land. You don’t have to leave.” He hated the way his voice sounded so small and vulnerable.  
  
“I don’t want his land. I don’t want handouts. I want to build something of my own, a future for _us_. I’m not leaving you. I will send for you when I’m settled, and we’ll be together.”  
  
“Do you love me, Jared?”  
  
Jared looked incredulous. “Do I love you? Do you really have to ask me that?”  
  
“You’ve never said it. Not even once.”  
  
Jared took a step closer to him. “I have lived most of my life in that hut because I love you. I have taught myself other languages because I love you. I made my body strong to try to impress you and catch your interest, because I love you. Every time I told you ‘as you wish’ I was saying ‘I love you’. I have lived my entire life hoping you’d notice me someday, and now that you have – I have to go. So that we can have something better someday.”  
  
And that’s when Jensen realized what a complete fool he’d been. All the times he’d ordered Jared to do this or that, calling him farm boy for his own amusement. Jared had always answered him with ‘as you wish’, but really, he’d been declaring his love all along. “I promise you I will never love anyone else.”  
  
Jared nodded, and took a step away. “It’s getting late, and I should go. I have to leave soon. But I will send for you as soon as I can. Believe me.”  
  
Jensen gave a little nod. Jared turned to leave, and Jensen watched him start to walk away.  
  
“Really?” Jensen said suddenly. Jared turned back around and looked at him questioningly. “All that and now you’re just going to leave me for who knows how long without even a goodbye kiss?  
  
Jared crossed the room in three long strides. They fell into each other’s arms and clung to each other, neither wanting to let go. 

Jared wrote letters as often as he could. The letters didn’t say much; he wrote almost as sparsely as he used to speak. His letters went like this: There was a bad storm last night but we’re okay. I love you. Don’t go to the market alone while I’m not there. I love you. Say hello to Horse, and really do think about giving him a better name. I love you.  
  
Then the letters stopped coming. Jensen wasn’t worried. Jared was at sea. It was only natural for there to be lulls while he was between ports. Then he got the news. He came home one day from ordering new shoes for Horse from the blacksmith. And no, he wasn’t renaming Horse, thank you very much, Jared.  
  
It wasn’t until he noticed the look on his parents faces that his own smile faltered. “What is it?” he asked.  
  
“There was news down on the docks this morning. Jared’s ship was attacked off the coast,” his father said.  
  
“Without any warning. Late last night.” His mother added.  
  
Jensen thought he should probably sit down. He was suddenly feeling dizzy. “What?” he somehow got out around the lump in his throat.  
  
“Pirates,” his father supplied. He looked down at the table, like he couldn’t look Jensen in the eye any longer.  
  
Quiet, for too long a moment.  
  
“But he’s all right,” Jensen said. “They took him prisoner and are holding him captive, or keeping him as a slave on their crew, right?”  
  
His mother made a distressed sound that sounded like a choked off sob. His father shook his head. “It was Carver. The Dread Pirate Carver.”  
  
“Oh.” Jensen knew the stories, of course. “He never leaves any survivors, does he?”  
  
Another head shake from his father. “I’m sorry, son. Really, I am. We all loved Jared.”  
  
Quiet fell over the room again. Suddenly it was all too much. Jensen’s mind was reeling with all the possibilities of what had happened to Jared. Was he scared when it happened? Of course he was, that was a stupid thought. Was he stabbed to death? Did they slit his throat in his sleep? Was he thrown overboard to drown? Did they make him walk the plank? Was that even an actual thing pirates really did? Jensen didn’t want to know.  
  
“I have to go to my room. Please excuse me,” he said. He got to his feet and somehow stumbled off to his room. He managed to shut the door before the tears came.  
  
Just like that, his farm boy, his Jared - his _everything_ was gone. 

  
Jensen fell into a deep depression after Jared’s death. Jensen became listless and forlorn, and no amount of coaxing from his mother helped snap him out of it. He no longer took Horse out for rides. Eventually, he got to a point where he could do what chores needed to be done around the farm, but he didn’t take enjoyment in anything.  
  
He went on, but he vowed to never love again.  
  
And he didn’t.

Two years after Jared’s ship was attacked, Jensen’s mother died unexpectedly in her sleep. She hadn’t been sick. She wasn’t old. There was no obvious explanation for it. Maybe her heart had given out. Maybe something had been wrong with her that they hadn’t known about. All the doctor could tell them was that he believed she’d slipped away peacefully while she slept.

There had been no chance to say goodbye. Just like with Jared. And once again, Jensen was left with nothing but endless what-if’s to haunt him.  
  
His father changed almost overnight. He went from a jovial, contented man to a withdrawn, distant version of himself. He didn’t talk. He lost weight. He spent countless hours sitting on the porch, staring at the withering flower beds that his mother had loved to work on. He was a hollow shell of his former self.  
  
Jensen could relate all too well. 

Three summers after Jensen received word of Jared being lost at sea and one year after his mother had died, Jensen's father fell seriously ill. The village doctor made a trip out to the farm but there was nothing that could be done. It was some sort of infection and the sickness has already spread too deep, was all he said. Jensen believed there was more to it than that. His father had given up and was dying of a broken heart.  
  
Jensen sat vigil at his father's bedside as his father lingered somewhere on the edge between life and death for several weeks. It was terribly difficult to watch someone he loved suffer so much.  
  
Whatever had happened to Jared, he hoped he hadn’t suffered.  
  
His father quietly passed away one evening in late summer. The following day, Jensen dug a grave next to where his mother was buried. He thought his parents would approve of that. Together for eternity. Something he would never have with Jared. He laid his father to rest at sunset. There was no one else there to bear witness to the end of his father's life.  
  
After he'd buried his father, Jensen hiked up to the bluffs overlooking the ocean. He sat there for hours, the wind whipping at his cheeks until his face burned. He watched the tide come in. He thought about his parents and Jared. They were all gone now. He was truly alone in the world.  
  
Something in him had died along with them.  
  
He wanted to die, too.

Jared woke up on the cold, hard deck. His hands and feet were bound. His mouth was gagged. Again.  
  
The Dread Pirate Carver still liked to tie him up like this whenever he thought Jared was getting too cocky, or perhaps he thought Jared was coming too close to starting a mutiny. Hell, maybe he even thought Jared would get away. As if there was anywhere for him to go out in the middle of the ocean.  
  
He smiled to himself. It hurt around the gag, but he didn't care. Carver let him live for another day.  
  
That's all that mattered. Whatever it took. However long it took him. He would find his way back to Jensen.


End file.
